Engine Cut-out Corolla H Reg

[carpqueen]

Hi there, I am on this forum on behalf of my hubby so please bear with me. OK, hubby has a 1.3 Toyota Corolla H reg. I have noticed over the past few weeks that his accelerator pedal (by the way, it is an automatic) has not been giving much oomp, ie takes a while to get from 0 to sixty!!! if you know what I mean. Then today, my hubby got to work and back no problems, 10 mile round trip. 1 hour later he drove us about 45 mins away. No problem. Got back into car, drove 200 yards up to a junction, and as he put his foot down to cross over, the car just conked out. After this, we were able to turn the key and produce the normal turning over sound, but it wouldn't get the engine started. We tried a few more times to get the engine to fire up but gradually the Battery started to show signs of running out so stopped this. We were towed home in the end but cannot now fathom what might have happened.

if anyone can help, we would really appreciate it.

thanks

julie

[Twincam.GTi]

Hi there,

Unfortunately from your description (which was fine) it could be a number of things.

My experiance from driving many an older car is that I would first check the following:

1/ Is there is a spark from the sparkplugs? To do this remove (and replace afterwards) each plug from the engine and reconnect the plug lead to it (I take it all plug leads are clean and spark plugs are decent/replaced recently?) and 'wedge' the sparkplug on top off the engine (a metal part, this acts as an earth) and get an assistant to turn the engine over, the plug should spark (don't hold the plug on the engine with your hand it will give you a 'Jolt' or even heart attack! ). If all plugs will not spark then it is highly likely that 'coil' has packed up.

2/Also another problem might be that your fuel filter is blocked (this seldom gets changed on older cars but is detrimental), I had cutting out problems at junctions etc. once with an old car and it was the fuel filter (Fuel filters are easier to change on fuel systems for 'Carburettor engined' cars than ones with injection systems).

3/Although the ignition system is 'electronic ignition' and thus is maintenance free for 'all eternity', I would take the cap of the distributor (please remember to mark which lead goes were if you have to pull/unplug any) and look inside to see if any oil has got 'sucked up' into it, reason is the distributor mechanism is run off the engine and the oil seal can fail and oil gets drawn inside.

I do appolgise if I have made any of the above sound simplistic and do not wish to offend you or other halfs mechnical knowledge.

I do not think from the symptoms you describe that it is anything serious such as blown head gasket etc.

Come on other members please forward some ideas for these 'newbies', this is a prime example of were TOC knowledge/expertise is needed :group-cuddles:

[carpqueen]

thanks for your help, i shall send him out with a tool kit and a nice cup of coffee. loved the group cuddles bit (i actually felt it - oooooooh!)

julie

will let you know how we get on.